T hi s or derand j udgm enti s notbi ndi ng pr ece dent , exce ptunderthe doctr i nes of * l aw of the ca s e, r es j udi cat a, and col l at er al es t oppel
. T he courtgener al l ydi s favor s the ci t at i on of or der s and j udgm ent s ; nevert hel es s , an or derand j udgm entm aybe ci t ed under t he t erm s and condi t i ons of 10th C i r . R
. 36. 3. A tt he hea r i ng, O ffi cer s Sm i t h and G ar ci a of the A l buquer que Pol i ce D epart m ent 1 tes tifie d , an d n o w itn e ss e s w e re c a lled b yH o lt. 

## F I LED Unite d St at e s C ourt o f Appe als Te nt h Ci r c uit 

### Ju l y 20, 2006 Elisab eth A. Shumaker C l erk of C ourt UNI TED S TATES CO URT O F AP PEALS

T E N T H C IR C U IT
UNI T E D S T AT E S OF AM E RI CA , Pl ai nt i ff- A ppel l ee, v. RI CH AR D H OLT, D e f e n d a n t-A p p e llan t. N o. 05- 2118 (D
. C
. N o. C R 04 -1686 -W J) ( N ew M exi co)

OR DER AND J UDGM EN T *
B efor e LU CE RO , C ir c u it J u d g e , Mc WI L L I A MS , Seni orC i r cui tJ udge, and TY M KOVI CH , C i r cui tJ udge.

O n A ugus t25, 2004, R i char d H ol tw as char ged i n an i ndi ctm entfi l ed i n t he U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tfort he D i s t r i ctof N ew M exi co w i t h bei ng a fe l on i n pos s es s i on of a lo a d e d f ire a rm in v io latio n o f

1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 2 (g )(1 ) a n d 1 8 U .S .C . § 9 2 4 (a )(2 ). H o lt, th ro u g h c o u n se l, file d a m o tio n to su p p re ss th e u se a t trial o f th e f ire a rm se ize d f

ro m h is per s on “af

t era for ci bl e s t op. ” O n O ct ober22, 2004, the di s t r i ctcour t , aft erhear i ng, d e n ied th e m o tio n to su p p re ss . T h e re a f ter , p u rsu a n t to F e d . R . C rim . P . 1 1 (a )(2 ), H o lt 1- 2 -

p led g u iltyto th e c h a rg e o f b e in g a f

e lo n in p o ss e ss io n o f

a f ire a rm , res e rv in g h is rig h t to appea l t he di s t r i ctcour t ’ s deni al of hi s m ot i on t o s uppr es s . L at er , he w as s ent ence d t o 37
m ont hs i m pr i s onm ent , fol l ow ed byt hr ee y ear s of s upervi s ed r el eas e. H ol tthen fi l ed a tim e lyn o tice o f

a p p e a l. O n ap peal, H oltrai ses one i ssue, i
. e. , w hether“t he fo rci ble s t op of M r. H olt ” w as a vi ol at i on of hi s Four t h A m endmentr i ghtt o be fr ee f r om an unr eas onabl e s ear ch and
s e iz u re . R e f

e re n c e to th e b a c k g ro u n d f a c ts w ill p u t th a t m a tte r i n f o c u s . O n t he eve ni ng of J ul y28, 2004, offi cer s of the A l buquer que Pol i ce D epart m ent
w entt o a l ocal m ot el l ocat ed i n a hi gh cr i m e ar ea i n A l buquer que and c hecke d t he parki ng ar ea f

ors t ol en vehi cl es . T heydet erm i ned thatone of the vehi cl es w as i ndeed a
s to le n c a r a n d th e yc a lle d th e o w n e r o f th e s to le n c a r a n d a s k e d h im to c o m e to th e m o te l. W h e n t h e o wn e ra r r i v e d , t h e o f f i c e r s a s k e d h i m t o o p e n th e tru n k , wh e r e p e r s o n a l i t e ms b elon g ing to o n e B o b b yW ash ing ton w ere fo u n d
. A fter a f u rth er c h ec k , the o ff

icers det erm i ned thatB obbyW as hi ngt on w as atthe t i m e a pr obat i on vi ol at orand thata w arr ant forhi s arr es thad i s s ued. T he off i cer s then made a furt herchec k and found thatB obby W as hi ngt on w as r egi s t er ed att he mot el w i t h a r oom on t he thi r d fl oor . B obby W as hi ngt on w as noti n hi s r oom atthe t i m e, s o t he off i cer s aw ai t ed hi s r eturn. A bout
m id n ig h t, B o b b yW a sh in g to n re tu rn e d to h is ro o m a n d w a s p ro m p tlya rre ste d p u rsu a n t to
w a rr a n t. U pon hi s arr es t , and s t i l l i n hi s hot el r oom , W as hi ngt on r epea t edl yas ked the
o f f ice rs if h e c o u ld tele p h o n e h is f rie n d “ R ich a rd ” a n d h a v e h im c o m e a n d “ g e t h is- 3 -

t hi ngs . ” The offi cer s di d notperm i tW as hi ngt on t o cal l hi s “fr i end, ” butone of the offi cer s di d pl ace a ca l l
. W hen thatoffi cerdi al ed the phone numberpr ovi ded by W as hi ngt on, a mal e voi ce a ns w er ed and s ai d hi s name w as “R i char d. ” The offi cer in f o rm e d “ R ich a rd ” th a t “B o b b y[ W a sh in g to n ] h a d ju st g o tten p o p p e d a n d w a n ts y o u to come and gethi s s tuff. ” W hen R i char d as ked i f he c oul d s peak t o W as hi ngt on, the offi cers ai d he coul d nott al k t o W as hi ngt on beca us e he w as w i t h t he pol i ce. Shor t l yt her eaf

t er , t he off

i cer s began t aki ng W as hi ngt on fr om the mot el and t r ans por t i ng hi m t o t he l ocal j ai l
. T he off i cer s and W as hi ngt on goti nt o t he mot el el evat oron t he thi r d fl oorand w entdow n t o t he gr ound l evel
. W hen the off i cer s and W ash ing ton b eg an to ex itthe e leva tor, into a b ree ze w ayat th e g rou n d leve l, theyw ere confr ont ed byan i ndi vi dual w ho tur ned outt o be R i char d H ol t , the def endanti n t he pr es entpr ocee di ng. W hen W as hi ngt on s aw H ol t , he s ai d “That ’ s m yhom eboyR i char d. ” W hen the off

i cer s fi r s tobs erved H ol the w as abouts i x fee taw ayand w al ki ng t ow ar ds t h e m . H e c o n t i n u e d w a l k i n g t o w a r d s th e g r o u p a n d , w h e n h e w a s a b o u ttw o f e e ta w a y,
o n e o f th e o f f ice rs in iti a ted w h a t h e d e sc rib e d a s a n “ in ter ro g a tiv e sto p ,” a n d in a c iv il
a n d c o n tro lled to n e o f

v o ice a sk e d H o lt t o p u t h is “ h a n d s o n to p o f h is h e a d .” H o lt obey ed. A s H ol tdi d t hat , anotheroffi cers aw a gun tucked i n H ol t ’ s w ai s tband and he y e lled “ G u n .” T h a t o f

f ice r im m e d iate lyg ra b b e d th e g u n . T h e o f f ice rs th e n th re w H o lt t o t he gr ound, handcuf

fed hi m and pl ace d hi m underarr es t . I tl at erw as as cert ai ned thatt he fi r earm w as l oaded a nd t hatH ol thad a pr i orfel onyconvi ct i on. O n appea l , couns el ’ s pos i t i on i s that , atthe mom entthe pol i ce or der ed H ol tt o “put- 4 -

hi s hands on t he t op of hi s head, ” ther e w as a vi ol at i on of H ol t ’ s Four t h A m endmentr i ght t o be fr ee of

an “unr eas onabl e s ear ch” a nd thatthe s ubs equentdi s coveryof a l oaded fi r earm , tucked i n hi s w ai s tband, r eal l yw as the “f rui tof the poi s onous tr ee. ” W e d is a g re e . O f f ice r S m ith w a s th e o f

f ice r w h o a sk e d H o lt t o “ p u t h is h a n d s o n to p o f h is h e a d .” H e tes tifie d a t th e h e a rin g o n th e m o tio n to su p p re ss th a t h e m a d e th a t re q u e st in t he i nt er es tof “of

fi cers afe t y . ” M or e s peci fi cal l y , O ffi cerSm i t h t es t i fi ed thatas he, and t he other s , exi t ed the el evat or , he w as i m m edi at el ys urpr i s ed ata conf r ont at i on byan i ndi vi dual , l at eri dent i fi ed as H ol t , w ho appr oache d hi m on hi s l efts i de. Sm i t h t es t i fi ed t hati ni t i al l y , H ol tw as abouts i x fee taw ayfr om hi m , butthatH ol tkept“comi ng t ow ar d” hi m and gave no i ndi cat i on of s t oppi ng. W hen H ol tw as abouttw o fee taw ayfr om O ffi cer s Sm i t h and G ar ci a, Sm i t h t es t i fi ed thathe as ked H ol tt o “puthi s hands on t op of hi s head” beca us e of Sm i t h’ s conce r n for“off i cers afe t y , and forthe s afe t yof the pr i s oner in c u s to d y .” I n deny i ng H ol t ’ s pr e- t r i al m ot i on t o s uppr es s , the di s t r i ctcour t , i n a r ather detai l ed st at em ent, spok e as foll ow s:

An o t h e rf

a c t , a n d I th i n k th i s i s r e a l l yth e , i n myv i e w, i t ’ s t he keyfac t ; t hatas the el evat ordoor s opened a nd S erg ea n t Sm ith an d D etec ti v e G arc ia an d the o thers w ere t aki ng M r . W as hi ngt on t o t he ca r , and M r . W as hi ngt on b asica ll yloo k ed o v er a t th e d ef en d an t, w h o w as righ t th ere w i t hi n t w o t o t hr ee f

eet , and s ai d - i n eff

ecti dent i fi ed the defe ndantas hi s hom eboy
. A nd s o t he off i cer s knew that t her e w as a know n as s oci at e of M r . W as hi ngt on r i ghtther e, and of c our s e, M r . W as hi ngt on w as s t i l l i n t he pr oces s of- 5 - b eing arrested an d take n to the p atrol ca r. I n m yvi ew , and contr aryt o w hatthe def endanti s ar gui ng, the offi cer , par t i cul ar l ySer geantSm i t h, had r eas onabl e conc erns for t hei rs afe t yand, bas ed on tr ai ni ng and expe r i ence , the s afe t yof a per s on w ho i s i n handcuf fs and bei ng r emoved fr om a s cene and bei ng t r ans por t ed. T her efor e, bas ed on the t ot al i t yof the ci r cumst ance s surr ou nd i ng t he arr estof M r. W ashi ng t on , S ergeant Sm i t h an d h i s t as k for ce t eam m ember s act ed r eas onabl yand di d notvi ol at e the d e f e n d a n t’s c o n stitu tio n a l rig h ts in a sk in g th e d e f e n d a n t to p la c e h is h a n d s o n h is h e a d
. T hus , t he di s t r i ctcour tconcl uded thatO ffi cerSm i t h had an obj ect i ve and
ar t i cul abl e bel i ef that“off i cers afe t y ” w as i n j eopar dyand thatSm i t h’ s m odes tr eques tof Ho l tt o “ p u th i s h a n d s o n t o p o f h i s h e a d , ” p r i o rt o a “ p a td o wn ” s e a r c h o f Ho l t , c a me
w el l w i t hi n t he par amet er s of T e r r y v . O h io , 392 U
. S. l , 27 ( 1968)
. I n t hatcas e, the S up rem e C ou rtspok e as foll ow s:

O u r e v a lu a tio n o f

th e p ro p e r b a lan c e th a t h a s to b e stru c k in t hi s t ype of c as e l eads us t o concl ude thatther e mustbe a narr ow l ydr aw n author i t yt o perm i ta r eas onabl e s ear ch for w eapons fort he pr ot ect i on of the pol i ce of fi cer , w her e he ha s r eas on t o bel i eve thathe i s deal i ng w i t h an arm ed and d a n g e ro u s in d iv id u a l, reg a rd les s o f w h e th e r h e h a s p ro b a b le caus e t o arr es tt he i ndi vi dual fora cr i m e. T he off i cerneed notbe abs ol ut el ycert ai n t hatthe i ndi vi dual i s arm ed; the i s s ue i s w hethera r eas onabl yprudentm an i n t he ci r cumst ance s w oul d be w arr ant ed i n the bel i ef thathi s s afe t yorthatof o thers w as in d an g er. W e agr ee w i t h t he di s t r i ctcour t ’ s under s t andi ng of the fa ct s and al s o agr ee that O f f ice r S m ith ’s r e q u e st o f

H o lt “to p u t h is h a n d s o f th e to p o f

h is h e a d ” w a s o b

jec tiv e ly
r eas onabl e undert he t ot al i t yof the des cr i bed ci r cumst ance s and di d noti m pi nge on H o lt’ s F o u rt h A m e n d m e n t r ig h ts . In s u p p o rt o f o u r r e s o lu tio n o f

th e p re s e n t m a tte r, s ee- 6 -

U n ite d S ta te s v . M

a dd o x , 3 8 8 F
. 3 d 1 3 5 6 ( 1 0 t h C i r . , 2 0 0 4 ) ( o f f i c e rs a f e t y c a n j u s t i f

y a “pr ot ect i ve det ent i on” ort empora r ys ei zur e of a per s on on t he s cene of an a r r es tw hen an offi cerhas r eas onabl e and a r t i cuabl e s us pi ci on of dange rt o l aw enfor cementoffi cer s and h im se lf , in lig h t o f

th e to talityo f

th e c irc u m sta n c e s); U

n ite d S ta te s v . H

o lt, 264 F. 3d 1215, 1222 ( l 0t h C i r . 2001) ( offi cerm aydet ai n pas s engerof a ve hi cl e i n t he i nt er es tof offi cers afe t yeven i n t he abs ence of anypart i cul ar i zed s us pi ci on of dange r ) ; and U ni t ed S ta te s v . K in g, 990 F. 2d 1552 ( 10t h C i r . 1993) ( i ndi vi dual m aybe s t opped foroffi cer
s a f e ty re g a rd le s s o f

s u s p e c te d c ri m in a l a c tiv ity). J udgm entaff

i r m ed.
ENT ERE D FOR T HE COURT Ro b e r tH. M c W i l l i a ms Seni orC i r cui tJ udge